Reaction from around the country on the Oakland Raiders drafting D.J. Hayden 12th overall.

Houston's D.J. Hayden was drafted 12th overall Thursday night by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the NFL Draft. A medical miracle after suffering a tear of the inferior vena cava in a practice collision on Nov. 6, Hayden is the 12th first-round pick in Houston history and the first ever UH defensive back to be selected in the first round.

What they are saying about D.J. Hayden...

UH Cornerback D.J. Hayden Bound for Oakland - Joseph Duarte, Houston ChronicleD.J. Hayden was sitting in the living room of his home when he saw the 510 area code flash on his cell phone Thursday night. A hush fell over the room, where a large group of family, friends and teammates gathered to watch the first round of the NFL draft. "I'm ready to come to Oakland," Hayden told a Raiders official on the other line.

Snap Judgements on the NFL Draft - Don Banks, Sports IllustratedOnce Hayden got a clean bill of health, the league started realizing he was a fairly unique talent as well: aggressive and hard-hitting, good in press coverage and capable of closing ground and making the receiver earn the reception. The Raiders loved him the more they studied him, to the point where Oakland was said to be seriously considering him at No. 3 if it didn't work out its trade with Miami.

Q&A with First Round Pick D.J. Hayden - San Francisco ChronicleCornerback D.J. Hayden spoke with the local media on a conference call after being selected by the Raiders with the 12th pick in the NFL Draft Thursday night.

Raiders Pick Cornerback D.J. Hayden - Vic Tafur, San Francisco ChronicleA collision in practice resulted in a torn vein in Houston cornerbackD.J. Hayden's heart and ended his 2012 season nine games in. Six months later, he is the No. 12 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft by theOakland Raiders.

Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie Attaches Reputation to D.J. Hayden - Monte Poole, Bay Area News GroupThe first round of the NFL draft tends to be one of the safest, sanest places in the sports. Everybody's watching, and no football "expert" wants to be the guy who gets it wrong in public. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie shrugged at such convention Thursday and selected the player he wanted, despite obvious high stakes and very evident and legitimate concerns.

Raiders Targeted Hayden From the Start - Paul Gutierrez, CSN Bay Area
The Raiders targeted D.J. Hayden from the start and would have taken the Houston cornerback at No. 3 in theNFL drafthad the right trade offer not been presented to Oakland.